BALTIMORE, MD.- John Waters’ bequest of 372 works by 125 artists, currently on view through April 16th, 2023, brings a particular cutting-edge articulation of American individualism to the Baltimore Museum of Art’s collection, particularly as it relates to queer identity and freedom of expression. Waters favors works that are visually witty, abstract, and often refer to the absurdities of the art world.

To showcase this provocative gift, queer photographers Catherine Opie and Jack Pierson are guest curating highlights from the collection for the BMA’s Nancy Dorman and Stanley Mazaroff Center for the Study of Prints, Drawings and Photographs.

The exhibition includes approximately 90 paintings, sculptures, photographs, and prints by Diane Arbus, Nan Goldin, Mike Kelley, Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman, Gary Simmons, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, Christopher Wool, Erwin Wurm, and Betsy the Chimpanzee, among others.

A brochure featuring portraits of the artworks across Waters’ homes in Baltimore, New York City, and San Francisco will accompany the exhibition.




The Nancy Dorman and Stanley Mazaroff Center for the Study of Prints, Drawings and Photographs is generously supported by Nancy Dorman and Stanley Mazaroff, the State of Maryland, the City of Baltimore, the Henry Luce Foundation, the France-Merrick Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and The Sheridan Foundation.

Generous support for this exhibition is provided by Clair Zamoiski Segal and the Clair Zamoiski Segal and Thomas H. Segal Contemporary Art Endowment Fund.

Founded in 1914 with a single painting, the Baltimore Museum of Art is home to 95,000 works, spanning the art of ancient Egypt to some of the most significant works of today.

The BMA has a history of collecting art that responds to the present moment, including pivotal gifts from Baltimore’s Cone sisters, whose acquisitions from living artists encouraged the Museum’s commitment to contemporary art. Our curatorial team continues this long tradition, creating new ways to interpret art history and acquiring artworks that tell the rich and varied stories of our community.

Our internationally renowned collection of 19th-century, modern, and contemporary art includes the largest holding of Henri Matisse’s works in a public institution, alongside important examples of artistic expression from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Pacific Islands.